Improvement in cutting printers  leads



vJOHN W. E. CHENEY, 0E HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

i Letters Patent No. 81,476, dated August 25, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT 1N CUTTING PRINTERS` LEADS.

'dite dgemle meurt in iu time Enters utmt alienating gmt et tige sans.

TO ALL WHOMIT M Aor CONCERNz, Y.

Be it known that I, JOHN W. H. CHENEY, of Hartford, in the county ofHartford,.and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and usefulMachine for Cutting Printers Leads; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, andvexact description thereof, whereby aperson skilled in the art can make and use the same, reference being hadto theaccompanying drawings, and -to the letters of reference markedthereon.

Like letters in the gures indicate the same parts.

My invention has for its object a more rapid and easy method of cuttingprinters leads into uniform lengths, such as are required to be preparedby the printer when setting up typeforordinaryjob-work. l

. The usual manner of cutting such leads is to have a cutter arrangedlil-re an ordinary shears,Y with a bedplate and gauge upon one side, sothat the piece cut oli' to a given length remains upon the plate, andthe rest falls down upon the table on which the machine stands.

My invention consistsV in constructing a machine, ashereinafterdescribed, so as to obviate the defects of those now in use, and cut theleads in a more expeditious manner. i

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my machine for cuttingleads.

Figure 2 4is a vertical section through the middle ofthe post" A, toshow the interior arrangement-of the parts. i

A and B are upright posts, iirmly attached to the bed-plate C.

i i D is a sliding gauge, of the same length as the bed-plate, held in adove-tailed groove in the under side of the plate C. f is a set-screw orclamp, passing through the side of the bed-plate,- and acting againsttheedge of the gauge D, to fasten it in any desired position. i l

.E is a gauge upon the topvof the bed-plate, sliding in grooves@ e inthe raised edges of the plate, and fr nished with the set-screw e, forfastening it in anyrequired position.

-F is the cutter, moving up and down in guides in the posts A and B, insuch a manner that its lower euttiugedge just shaves against the edge aa of the bed-plate C, and forms a vertically-acting shears. The cutter Fis connected with the rod H and handle Attached to the rod H isacross-head, G, which, like the cutter F,A moves in slides in the posts Aand B. The ktwo being connected together by the rod H, causes the cutterto move up yand down truly and firmly, parallel to the edge a a of thevbed-plate, and square with its raised edges along e c.

The cross-head G, by means of the arms g, rests upon coiled springs, S,in each of the. two posts, which springs act upward, andkeep `the'cutter raised in the position shown in the drawing.

L L are the legs of the machine, by which it is attached to a table orsuitable stand.

The several parts of the machine can bemade of iron, brass, or othersuitable metal, having the cutter F and the edge a a of steel or other.suiicient-ly hard metal.

The operation of my invention islas follows:

When it is`desired to cut a number of leads of a certain length, theend, eZ, ofthe gauge D, is set at the proper .distance out from the edgea a,and the strip of lead placed upon the bed-plate Cof the machine,against one of the edges, as at c e, and pushed out till its end comesagainst the end, d, ofthe gauge. A blow is then struck with the handupon the handleI, which drives down the cutter F and cuts olfv the lead,the piece cut off falling down out of the way, and the cutter springingup, when the original piece is pushed forward another length, andeut'oii` as before.

The gauge D can be set at once to the right distance by, inserting aleadof the proper length betaveen'the part d and the' end of the plateC, moving cl up to it, and clamping in that position.

When it is more convenient to measure the length back from the cutter,the gauge E is used, by clamping it in the desired position, andpressing the end of the lead against it when cut.

The advantages of my invention over others are- First, that the cutterisaiways raised o`ut of the Vway when putting in a lead, and in positionfor action.

Second, it cuts leads more rapidly and easily than by the usual'methods.

Third, either the forward or back gauge can be set at once to any given'length, an arrangement which no other machine now in use possesses.

Fourth, the smallest pieces of metal cut are free from burr or twist,and ready to be used inthe finest work.

Fifth, its simplicity of construction, durability, and economy.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is- The arrangement of the hand-cutter F, and the parts by which it isoperated, with the stationary cutter a, bed C, and adjustable gauges Dand E, when constructed as described and for the purpose specified.

- J. W. H. CHENEY. Witnesses:

THEO. G. ELLIS, GEO. AKPAINE, 2d.

